Friday 23 March 2012

A crochet moan



Back for my birthday I treated myself to some lovely yarn. My plan is to make a lovely Attic24 rippley baby blanket. She gives lovely clear instructions here. But.

But.

Arrgghhh! See the darker green stripe I started with? I've done that SOOOOO many times! I carefully counted, but then the next row didn't match up. Ah, I must have miscounted. I started again, counted again, many, many times, unpicked it, redid it, etc- I even got DH to count for me. Phooey. I've left a little tail of extra foundation chains that I'll extract when I'm feeling confident, and now I'm making up each end of row as I get there, as they still don't fit somehow. So, my row ends aren't as consistent as I'd like but I'll just have to explain to bump that definately noone has a blanket just like this. Sigh.

On a slight plus, crochet is my 'defense' for sitting around so I don't look like I'm ignoring the boxes and unpacking and sorting. I've been signed off for 2 weeks from work as I'm struggling with remaining upright -a similar problem happened when I was expecting Big One, only home life wasn't quite so busy without children (!!!), so I think the extra tiredness is making it a bit different.
I'm annoyed I'm unreliable at work, but also know the best thing for me and bump is to be able to sit and rest- without watching work build up while I do that, or have to ask someone to do my work for me. I'm certainly not pulling my weight at home so here's a public thanks for DH and the girls for putting up with me, and looking after me!

Anyway, I think I'll get some more crochet time in the next couple of weeks, so hopefully this blanket wil fly along.

A monthly round-up

I know, its the middle of the month, but my phone is playing up and I can't get it to email- so unless I do this there's no pictures on my blog. And, of course, when I go through I find lots of pictures I don't think I've shared (excuse pregnancy brain!).
Anyway, here it goes:




Poorly Little One back in Feb is getting a bit big for her sling.






















cafe was shut, but DHs well equipped bag had essential soups!



Lots of interesting tools I got a glimpse of at Cliff Castle.

First the tree was felled and snedded

then they built a bonfire



I missed the fire, but just in time for the embers and cooking tea with friends

Big One had fun visiting old friends- and playing with well remembered toys!
























Thursday 15 March 2012

The shock of a house

We've spent a little more time at the house, and I want to remember the novelty before it wears off!

We've been there in the evening, and WOW its bright with electric lights on after dark. In the caravan we go dim as the girls go to bed, and do quiet things before going to sleep- at quite an early time compared to folk with  more conventional lives. Our tenants have spent the last year with the curtains shut apparently, so I've no idea what they've done for light unless all the 20+  light bulbs died the day before they moved out- no light in the bathroom, upstairs hallway, most of the lights in  the kitchen, dining room and living room also dead. It makes it a bit dark for doing 'work' by, but its very bright compared to being in the caravan.

The othe big thing is we are slowly getting back on 'the grid'. We now have telephone and internet at the house. Another big WOW. The girls had their long- promised time on the cbeebies website as soon as it was connected today- with the accompanying grumps and fallings out when it had been on too long (ahh, yes, why we don't have TV hits me over the head again), and I finally don't have to be aware of which websites I'm looking at for the sneaky video that might use up the data allowance on the dongle for a month without me noticing.

Next will be water rates and council tax, we just need to decide when we're officially moved in. Yorkshire Water counts it from when there are beds set up. Ummm, beds sound a little conventional to us...but with me unable to get enough of having a bath AND a shower to use without sharing with others/carefully heating the water first, that'll be sooner rather than later.

We're working steadily through 4 transit vans (that's the long wheel based version) of stuff- despite months of decluttering, charity shopping, ebaying and carboot sale-ing before we set off last year. We packed up not knowing where we'd be living when we came back,and equally I never planned on living in the house again (severe morning sickness has a lot to answer for, making this an acceptable home again!). However, finding random bags of nappies, small baby equipment (and I have a friend who apparently has an attic full of stuff I loaned her!)  I am glad I wasn't more ruthless. Its also been lovely this afternoon to sit (on OUR own comfy sofa) and look at two bookcases full of treasured books. I just don't have the Kindle love, despite the space saving abilities of it, so being reunited with my books is very special.

What is quite horrific is the large quantities of boxes of  'treasures' for the girls. Random bits of paper, tin foil, pebbles that I strongly suspect will all be 'my favourite' when the girls see them, with no associated memory of where its from or why its precious, but we'll have to find somewhere for it. One mountain of boxes has ( hopefully temporarily) disappeared  into the cellar. There is already a stack in their bedroom....Sigh, deep breath. We will sort through it all eventually.

We have already paid for one more week on our pitch, so tomorrow the final task of emptying the awning and caravan of all  'living' essentials, and swapping the 'holiday' kit from the house (things like camping cutlery, bowls and cooking utensils come to mind) to the  everyday 'living' kitchen stuff.
The field next door has one early lamb, and we are going to be sad to miss lambing and the whole 'living in a field' even if the field wasn't our own, and had a drain, tap, electric and a toilet/shower block (if I wasn't still a bit phobic from the hyperemesis to use it).

Living in a house has waaaay more drawbacks, especially now the weather is warming up, but planning a home birth makes different things an immediate priority, and as such I do have a definite feeling of being settled, even if we still have a lot to sort out. Along with a definite dread of the next move, whenever and wherever that'll be.

Monday 12 March 2012

Playing before tea

Smoky bonfire planned for later in the week by the sounds of it. Good fun to be had before then though...

Ta daaa!

Poorly lying down afternoon means I've finally finished my shawl. I started it when I first knew I was pregnant,but put it aside while I was puking, and then when I first felt better the quilt happened, so its been done in 2 spells.

Its a simple pattern,but took me a fair amount of concentration. Lots of mistakes,so noone else has one like it!
Beautiful soft hand-dyed yarn from Nimu yarns,which I got from her stall at the Natural mamas camp last year.

Happy its done,but I'll be glad of a more upright day tomorrow though!

Thursday 8 March 2012

Its a House!

We've had the keys a day and a half, and DH has been busy scrubbing floors and the back of the van is finally empty for the first time in months.

I've already managed the luxury of a bathroom shower (as opposed to jugs of hot water in the caravan, or a very long time ago using the showers on the campsite) which, despite a notable lack of light was quite a treat.

This morning though, waking up in the caravan with birdsong outside the window, Big One debating if there are birds living in the bonfire heap, hearing the owls through the night, seeing the bats at dusk -without other folk about and no traffic nearby- I think we're going to find it hard moving back in.

Our house is mid-terrace, with another terrace behind and a park across the road. DH was mentioning seeing the 'type' of people going past the window -ahh, I forgot the swearing that'll go along with that. I'm also now remembering how take-away drivers get muddled up with our house and the house down the road on the other side (two roads sharing a back alley can be confusing- folk assume its the 'road' and that the numbers work along both sides of the street) and, on one memorable occasion late at night- the police got muddled up too.

The park sounds nice, but you do need to be careful of broken glass, rubbish and dog poo. I'll try to focus on remembering the 'Carols by Candlelight' one Christmas.

I know that house living will be more comfortable on a personal space level, though I'm not sure of the luxury of our own washing machine- £6-£10 for Linda to wash, dry, and FOLD all our weekly wash is really quite fabulous. Especially when DH does the drop off and collection! Already Little One is LOVING being able to jump inside- that involves a shaking caravan and a telling off in our caravan. Both girls are finding it a treat to visit the house- yesterday they were telling me how much fun they had cleaning the shelves they could reach. Big One tells me they both helped clean the dining room floor.

We are looking forward to seeing most of our neighbours again. One special neighbour ( I think they might count as 'friends', lol) even lets us use her allotment and the girls play in her garden next to it. We'll have to get our skates on to get some plants growing but we'll get on with it once we get moved in. Sounds like Big One has invited herself over to play at her house today as well! Little One has other commitments and was very sad yesterday that she won't be going.

I also have an idea of growing beans up the back window. Our backyard is south facing, and that means on hot sunny days both it and the dining room gets very, very hot. We have grown plants on the window sill, which shades it but of course, the sun has already heated up inside ( its a very good greenhouse, but not always nice to live in!). I'm wondering if some (very tall) beans might cast a bit of shade and stop it becoming unbearably hot.

First we'll have to wait for the rubbish to be taken away. The good news is the council will do it for free- so eventually the girls will have a small amount of outside space to play.

Right, its almost a proper time to start the day and I think Big One is getting a bit fed up of reading over my shoulder. She wants to make some smilies J

Saturday 3 March 2012

Chainsawing done

Felled,snedded etc. He's had fun- definately hard work!
Have a friend lined up for firewood, but I think we'll get some good carving wood out of it too.Maybe even another chopping block.

Happy husband

Dh doesn't get to use his chainsaw often,so when the site owner mentioned a bit of chainsaw work, well he's been looking forward to it.
He waited until after 8 am to get started :-)
Apologies for phone pics- I really need a zoom on it.

Friday 2 March 2012

Cliff castle. Shame the cafe is shut Fridays. And Mondays. We have emergency soup though, and its going down suprisingly well.